CCAS art programs reorganized, merged with Corcoran

Five programs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences will join the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, according to a University release Friday.

The Corcoran announced its new structure and will now host seven academic programs, including art history, interior architecture, music, theatre and dance, studio arts and museum studies and design, five that previously existed within CCAS. The decision comes after a faculty vote in February as a part of the school’s new governance structure, according to the release.

Officials announced the plans for a merger between the arts departments within the two schools last year, after GW absorbed the Corcoran College of Arts + Design in 2014.

Faculty and staff in the Corcoran have been working throughout the summer to implement the new structure, according to the release.

“The passage of school bylaws came with a tremendous degree of faculty buy-in and engagement, and the thoughtful feedback from the CCAS dean’s office,” Sanjit Sethi, the school’s first director, said in the release. “We start off this academic year with the task of creating a truly engaged and interdisciplinary creative community.”

Corcoran will still function as a school within the broader Columbian College, like the School of Media and Public Affairs.

The school has faced issues since its transition to GW, and faculty called for more transparency after layoffs. GW laid off 10 Corcoran faculty last year, after deciding to hold off on faculty contracts for the upcoming year.